The present invention relates to directing an end user to a network address of a provider based on codes provided by the user.
Bar code scanning technology has been in use for quite some time. Such bar codes appear on most items encountered by consumers every dayxe2x80x94from grocery items to driver""s licenses. Other types of codes (such as private codes), and methods for acquiring such codes, have been and are continuing to be developed. Bar codes and other codes allow for fast and easy identification, tracking, and inventory of items as well as storage of data relating to such items. As bar codes have become a common and familiar part of the consumer experience, so has the use of web services and applications. Different types of web services and applications continue to grow in number and popularity.
Identifying ways of converging these two apparently disparate technologies to create a product that provides mobility, simplicity, accuracy, convenience and efficiency to web applications and services would enable companies to reduce costs (by replacing formerly manual tasks with bar coding technology), increase revenue (by offering barcode-enabled advertising alternatives that allow consumers to learn about products, prices, store locations etc.), increase productivity (by automating sales force tasks such as product ordering), and improve customer loyalty (by offering barcode related value-added services to customers).
The present invention provides systems and methods related to the convergence of bar code and other coding technologies and web-based applications and services, thereby fulfilling a need present in the prior art.
In particular, the present invention is directed to a method and system for transmitting information representative of scanned machine-readable codes between network sites. Information associated with one or more scans of machine-readable codes made by an end-user is received at a first site. The information associated with the scans of machine-readable codes is stored in a database associated with the first site within a data record having a unique alpha-numeric identifier associated therewith. The end-user is directed from the first site to a second site with a URL that includes both a symbol identifying an address of the second site on the network and the unique alpha-numeric identifier associated with the information stored at the first site. A request signal is received at the first site from the second site for the information stored at the first site. The request signal includes a representation of the unique alpha-numeric identifier. The stored information is sent from the first site to the second site in response to the request signal.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.